Page 73 of Creed

We said our goodbyes and soon we were on our way home. She curled into me, and eventually her breaths evened out. She fell asleep because it was late, and she had a long day. She might have been a bad liar, but I spotted the truths. She wasn’t lying when she said she was happy staying at my place.

She had to wake up when we stopped at the security gate. We went through the typical search then made our way to the house. The guys unloaded the chicken and the arrangements as I followed Morgan to the living room. I pulled her feet up to my lap and took her heels off before I rubbed her feet.

“You’re too good to be true.” She looked at me through sleepy eyes.

“That’s an exaggeration.” I kept rubbing her feet.

“I’m coming home, you know.”

I looked over at her. “You’re already home.”

“I mean from California. I’m in Indiana to stay, and I was hoping to ask you something.”

I glanced at her. “Go right ahead.” I knew the word no didn’t exist in my vocabulary where she was concerned.

“You’ve already done so much for me, but I was wondering if you’d go to California with me. I was also hoping you’d attend my premier with me. I feel safest with you, and now that your family knows where you live, I can’t see why you can’t be spotted with me.”

“It’ll start rumors.” I warned her.

She smiled. “If I’m going to be accused of being with anyone, I’m happy it’s with you.”

Those words made me the happiest man alive. “I’ll clear my schedule.”

I was doing everything within my power to help her feel some sort of a normal life. I was trying to make her happy the best I could under the circumstances. Her mother and sister had been visiting, and she was making friends and rediscovering herself away from Hollywood. I was spending every moment I could get free with her. But I knew I couldn’t keep it up forever. Things were growing tense in the middle east and in Europe. I had missions coming up and would need to be at the Pentagon soon. By fall, we would have more missions going out, and I still needed to talk to her about the fact that I was once again owned by the United States Armed Forces. I was no longer retired. She needed to know those things soon, but she was already going through too much. I just needed to give her a little more time. She needed to know that getting involved with me, would mean she wasn’t just involved with an operative, but a soldier as well.

There was also the topic of my past with women. She was assuming I was innocent of paying for sex. She deserved to know I kept one woman at a time in my pocket just to meet my sexual needs.

The Heartbreaking Truth

Morgan

I spent two days planting the perennials around Creed’s Lake. I loved it when Creed said I could create a small flower garden right outside the community center. All that was left to plant were the fruit trees. I decided to plant those with Addie in the coming days. They would be planted in memory of Callie.

Addie’s room was ready, Creed had a security system placed around the portion of the lake near his home, the playhouse was built, and I had all of Addie’s clothes and toys organized in her bedroom. I couldn’t think of anything else to do in preparation, but I was nervous. I even called Melissa and asked her to meet with me about an opportunity for her. I didn’t need a nanny full time, but what I did need was someone to travel with me and watch over Addie. I thought Melissa would be a familiar face, and since school let out for the summer, those particular familiar faces wouldn’t be available until the fall. It wasn’t safe to take Addie to the trailer park and drop her off. Just because I was retiring from acting didn’t mean I didn’t need help with other things. I needed someone to take over for my parents, who were dealing with my agent, my business manager, and my attorney. There were interviews I had to do for the new film, and I needed someone to handle my schedule. So, Melissawould be a part time nanny and full time personal assistant. I couldn’t expect her to stop babysitting just to accompany us on our very rare travels. So, I thought of a more permanent full time position. Creed was working on her background check to see if she was even a candidate to bring on board.

It didn’t help when Jake called and wanted to have a little talk. He felt like I was pushing him away, which was partially true, but it wasn’t by choice. I had to protect Creed’s Lake, and we were under lockdown. I promised things would get easier further down the road and that I still loved him dearly. He made me feel guilty, which was the last thing I needed at the time. I knew he was just concerned, and I appreciated it, but my promise to protect Creed's Lake was important to me.

The prior evening, I busied myself by baking cookies and cupcakes while Creed was doing something in the off limits room upstairs. I wanted everything to be perfect for Addie, and I thought Creed might have been just as nervous as me. He was locked in that room for hours, and when he came out, he seemed exhausted. I knew there were things I wasn’t privileged to know, but I didn’t like what I saw. He was only out of that room long enough to get a drink then kissed the top of my head, told me goodnight, and went back to that room. He didn’t just look exhausted, he seemed very stressed out.

Choosing an outfit was difficult. I wanted to present as classy as possible without intimidating Addie. I also didn’t want to look like a Hollywood brat. I couldn’t believe the day had finally come, and we were just hours from bringing Addie home.

I chose a respectful summer dress, wore my hair up in a ponytail, and chose a pair of sandals. I was just packing my handbag when there was a knock on my door. “Its open.”

The door opened and Creed stuck his head in, but instead of talking, he ran his hand down his face as his eyes trailed from mine, all the way to my toes. Over the last few days, things grew even more intense between us. I didn’t know what was holding him back. If it weren’t moments like that one, where he looked at me like he wanted to devour me, then it was intimate moments he cut short with one excuse or another.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked as I clasped my handbag shut.

“Umm…yeah. The umm…what’s that thing?” When I turned to face him, his eyes landed on my breasts then quickly shot up to my eyes. “That car thing…seat thing is in the SUV. Do we need to take anything with us? Like how Zoey always carries that bag packed with a million things?”

My lips turned up into a smile. “That would be a diaper bag, and no, Addie doesn’t need a diaper bag. Although I did pack a tote with some juice boxes, a few cookies, a coloring book, and some crayons for the trip home.” I learned a few days prior that CPS, due to the situation, worked with a different county so that Addie could stay in a foster home in Kokomo. Creed didn’t seem as surprised so I had my suspicions he might have had someone watching over Addie and the foster home. I felt terrible, because it wasn’t about Shane and the men he associated with, but the media attention on the case. It was just under a three hour trip both ways. A few of Creed’s security detail would follow on their bikes, but give us enough space so it wasn’t obvious they were with us.

“Okay, well if we don’t want to be late, we better be going.” Creed said and I followed him downstairs and grabbed the tote I packed. Soon, he was behind the wheel, and I was next to him in the passenger seat. Creed’s idea of being late andmine were two different things. To Creed, anything less than fifteen minutes early, was being late. To me, being late meant five minutes after the designated time. I was so nervous, because I knew things wouldn’t be easy with Addie.

It was two days prior when I finally was able to speak to Addie’s foster mother. The case worker in charge of Addie’s case agreed it would be a great idea, so I knew how well Addie was doing before I finally got to see her. She said Addie talked a lot about “the big guy” and how he saved Auntie Morgan. Addie also said she understood that her mommy and daddy went to heaven, but she would be coming to live with me. That her mommy always told her if anything ever happened, Auntie Morgan would take care of her. I was also informed that Addie was having nightmares about that night and always cried out for the big guy. They didn’t know what that meant, but I was more than aware. She would also ask for a man named Caleb, which I knew by then, she was speaking about Sniper. As far as behavior, there were a few instances where Addie acted out. She tried to run away to go find her mommy, which told me she didn’t understand everything as well as her foster mom thought. Addie wasn’t playing with the other children and mostly staying to herself. I hated the fact that she had to make adjustments again, but that wouldn’t be the last one she had to make. She had to adjust again when everything was over, and we bought our own home.

I was nervously looking out the window and biting my nail when Creed reached over for my hand. He glanced at me and smiled before turning back to the road and squeezing my hand.

Taking Addie wasn’t a decision I made the night Callie died. It was a decision I made when Callie asked me to beher Godmother. Callie wasn’t Catholic, so the decision to make me her godmother wasn’t so that I looked over her religious education and activity with the church. She straight up asked me to care for Addie as my own daughter if anything ever happened. Becoming her godmother was me agreeing to Callie’s request. It was a decision I made knowing it could actually happen. I always knew Callie was at risk as long as she was with Shane. I already knew he physically harmed her and if she didn’t leave the outcome would likely be grim.

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